Cream dispenser



Sept. 28, 1965 Filed Feb. 5, 1964 A. P. RAYNER 3,208,645

CREAM DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ADRiEN P. RAYNER By y l 2 it v Attorney;

Sept. 28, 1965 A. P. RAYNER CREAM DISPENSER Filed Feb. 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ADRFEN P- Inventor RAYN ER Attorney:

United States Patent 3,208,645 CREAM DISPENSER Adrien Patrick'Rayner, Alton, England, assignor to The Metal Box Company Limited, London, England, .a British company Filed Feb. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 342,747 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Feb. 11, 1963, 5,525/ 63 Claims. (CL 222-319) This invention relates to a dispenser for flowable materials of cream-like consistency.

According to the invention a dispenser for flowable materials of cream-like consistency comprises an opent-opped container and-a plungerincluding ahead provided with a dispensing orifice, said container and plunger each being moulded from synthetic thermoplastic material and the plunger also including a body slidable'axially in the container and having an inner end wallrarranged so that on movement of the punger towards the bottom of the container cream contained in :the container is forced therefrom through a dispensing channel extending lengthwise along the side of the body and communicating with said dispensing orifice, an imperforate skirt extending from the inner end of the bodyand having a length such as to prevent discharge of the contents .of the container through the top thereof during insertion of the plunger into the container, and a sealing bead integral with the skirt at a position adjacent to the leading edge thereof and arranged to elfect a sliding seal with the interior sides of the container.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood one embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation, partly'in section, of a dispenser according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional elevation of the plunger body,

FIGURE 3 is a top plan of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is an underneath plan of a cover for the body shown in FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 5 is an elevation looking in the direction of arrow V, FIGURE 4, and

FIGURE 6 is a section on line V-I-VI, FIGURE 4.

Referring to the drawings, the dispenser comprises a cylindrical open-topped body '1, FIGURE 1, and a plunger, described below, including a head provided with a dispensing orifice. In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 1, the container has a bottom a portion of which extends into the container to provide an interemediate portion 2 and a recess 3 to receive a skirt on the plunger as described below. The open end of the container is provided with a lateral projection 4 to be engaged by a cap, not shown, when the container is used as a refill and is not supplied with a plunger.

The plunger comprises a hollow cylindrical body 5 having an inner end wall 6 which is arranged on movement of the plunger towards the bottom of the container 1 to force cream from the container through a dispensing channel 7 which extends lengthwise of the body 5 and communicates with a dispensing orifice 8. In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings the dispensing channel 7 extends lengthwise of the plunger body 5 along a side thereof and at its outer end communicates with guides 9, FIGURES 2 and 3, which extend across a flange 10 to form therewith the sides and bottom of a dispensing nozzle the opening from which forms the dispensing orifice 8. The flange 10 forms part of the head of the plunger and the head is completed by a cover 11 which is frictionally fitted to the body 5 and has a crown 12 a part of which, as shown in FIGURE 1, forms the top of the nozzle. A guide channel depends from the 3,208,645 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 crown 12 and includes wing element-s 13, FIGURES 4 and 5, which frictionally engage the guides 9, and a portion 14 which is integral wit-h the wing elements and which is frictionally engaged in the outer end of the dispensing channel 7 to guide cream from the dispensing channel into the nozzle.

The plunger body is slidable axially in the container 1 and a skirt 15 extends from the body 5 to bemovable in advance of the inner end wall 6. A sealing member 16, shown in the drawings as a bead integral with the skirt, is carried by the skirt 15 at a position adjacent to the leading edge 17 of the skirt and is arranged to effect a sliding seal with the interior sides of the container 1. The bead 16 slopes, as indicated at 18, FIGURE 2, to the edge '17 to provide a lead for the inner end of the body 5 as it is being inserted into the container 1. A second bead 19 is provided to steady the plunger and prevent tilting, by taking up the space between the components arising from the necessity for a slight taper on the body to meet re quirements of the moulding technique.

As can be seen from FIGURE 1, the intermediate portion 2 of the bottom of the container faces the inner end wall 6 of the plunger body 5 and the inner end of the dispensing channel 7. Thus as the plunger is pressed downwards towards the bottom portion 2 cream is compressed between the portion 2 and the end wall 6 and is forced upwards through the dispensing channel 7, through the nozzle, and out of the dispensing orifice 8.

It will be understood that the plunger is inserted into the container after the container has been filled with the desired quantity of cream. The skirt 15 ensures that none of the cream is unintentionally discharged while the plunger is being inserted into the container sulficiently far to provide that engagement between the plunger and container which is stable and prevents relative tilting between them. As the quantity of cream in the container becomes exhausted the skirt 15 enters the recess 3 and so permits the end wall 6 to be moved into close overlying relation with the intermediate portion 2 thereby to ensure that substantially the whole of the cream is expelled from the container. This action is also furthered by making, as shown in FIGURE 1, the intermediate portion 2 and the end wall 6 each of similar convex shape. If desired, the sides of the dispensing channel 7 may diverge slightly towards the outer end of the channel.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the container and the plunger are made of moulded synthetic thermoplastic material, for example the container and the plunger body are each made of polypropylene and the cover is made of polystyrene.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for flowable materials of cream-like consistency, comprising an open-topped container and a plunger including a head provided with a lateral dispensing orifice, said container and plunger each being moulded from synthetic thermoplastic material and the plunger also including a body slidable axially in the container and having an inner end wall arranged so that on movement of the plunger towards the bottom of the container cream contained in the container is forced therefrom through a dispensing channel extending lengthwise along the side of the body and communicating with said dispensing orifioe, an imperforate skirt extending from the inner end of the body and having a length such as to prevent discharge of the contents of the container through the top thereof during insertion of the plunger into the container, and a sealing bead integral with the skirt at a position adj-acent to the leading edge thereof and arranged to effect a sliding seal with the interior sides of the container.

2. A dispenser for flowable materials of cream-like consistency, comprising an open-topped container moulded trom synthetic thermoplastic material and having a bottom a portion of which extends into the container to provide an intermediate portion which faces the top of the container .and which also provides a recess between the sides of the container and the sides of the inwardly extending bottom portion, and a plunger moulded from synthetic thermoplastic material and including a head provided with a dispensing orifice, a body slidable .axially in the container and having an inner wall facing said intermediate portion and a dispensing channel which extends lengthwise along the side of the body .and has one end in communication with said dispensing orifice and its opposite end overlying said intermediate portion so that on movement of the plunger towards the bottom of the container cream contained in the container is forced therefrom through the dispensing channel and dispensing orifice, an imperforate skirt extending from the inner end of the body and having a length such as to prevent discharge of the contents of the container through the top thereof during insertion of the plunger into the container, said skirt being aligned with said recess to permit said inner end wall to be moved into close overlying relation with said intermediate portion, and a sealing bead integral with the skirt at a position adjacent to the leading edge thereof and arranged to effect a sliding seal with the interior sides of the container.

3. A dispenser for flowable materials of cream-like consistency, comprising an open-topped container molded from synthetic thermoplastic material and having a bottom a portion of which extends into the container to provide an intermediate portion which faces the top of the container and which also provides a recess between the sides of the container and the sides of the inwardly extending bottom portion, and a plunger moulded from synthetic thermoplastic material and including a body slidable axially in the container and having an inner wall facing said intermediate portion and a dispensing channel which extends lengthwise of the body along the side thereof and has the inner end thereof overlying said intermediate portion so that movement of the plunger towards the bottom of the container forces cream contained in the container upwards through the channel, a head formed by a flange extending laterally from the outer end of the plunger body and a cover frictional'ly fitted to the body, guides extending across the flange to form therewith the sides and bottom of a dispensing orifice which communicates with the outer end of said channel and has the top thereof formed by said cover, wing elements integral with the cover and frictionally engaging said guides and including a portion frictionally engaged in the outer end of the dispensing channel to guide cream from the chan nel into and through the dispensing orifice, an imperforate skirt extending from the inner end of said body and having a length such as to prevent discharge of the contents of the container through the top thereof during insertion of the plunger into the container, said skirt being aligned with said recess to permit said inner end wall to be moved into close overlying relation with said intermediate portion, and a sealing bead integral with the skirt at a position adjacent to the leading edge thereof and arranged to effect a sliding seal with the interior sides of the container.

4. A dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the container and the plunger body are each made from polypropylene and the cover is made of polystyrene.

*5. A dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the'intermediate portion and the inner end wall are of like convex shape.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,001,819 5/ 35 Elle et al. ZZZ-386 X 2,075,831 4/ 37' Schlumbohm 222-319 X 2,550,210 '4/5l Vance 22-2320 2,753,088 7/56 Prahl 222215 2,763,405 9/56' Shvetz 222320 2,915,225 12/59 Atkins 222-320 FOREIGN PATENTS 71,080 10/ 5 2 Netherlands.

LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DISPENSER FOR FLOWABLE MATERIALS OF CREAM-LIKE CONSISTENCY, COMPRISING AN OPEN-TOPPED CONTAINER AND A PLUNGER INCLUDING A HEAD PROVIDED WITH A LATERAL DISPENSING ORIFICE, SAID CONTAINER AND PLUNGER EACH BEING MOULDED FROM SYNTHETIC THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL AND THE PLUNGER ALSO INCLUDING A BODY SLIDABLE AXIALLY IN THE CONTAINER AND HAVING AN INNER END WALL ARRANGED SO THAT ON MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THE CONTAINER CREAM CONTAINED IN THE CONTAINER IS FORCED THEREFROM THROUGH A DISPENSING CHANNEL EXTENDING LENGTHWISE ALONG THE SIDE OF THE BODY AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID DISPENSING ORIFICE, AN IMPERFORATE SKIRT EXTENDING FROM THE INNER END OF THE BODY AND HAVING A LENGTH SUCH AS TO PREVENT DISCHARGE OF THE CONTENTS OF THE CONTAINER THROUGH THE TOP THEREOF DURING INSERTION OF THE PLUNGER INTO THE CONTAINER, AND A SEALING BEAD INTERGRAN WITH THE SKIRT AT A POSITION ADJACENT TO THE LEADING EDGE THEREOF AND ARRANGED TO EFFECT A SLIDING SEAL WITH THE INTERIOR SIDES OF THE CONTAINER. 